2.3" versus 2.1" tyre, same tread, why such a difference?

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This topic has 18 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by m360.

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2.3" versus 2.1" tyre, same tread, why such a difference?
m360
Free Member

Ran a Conti Vertical 2.3″ today instead of my usual Explorer 2.1″. What a difference, but not as you’d expect…

The Vertical was terrible. Honestly never had the front wash out or break away so often as I did with this. It’s the same tread pattern as the explorer, so what’s going on? Slightly angled rocks, slipped off, fire roads, washed out or snatched, kept “pinging” off everything else. Really hard to pick a line or have any confidence in it at all. The only thing it did seem to like was roots 😕

I did like the extra “suspension” from the 2.3″ on the rigid forks…but not at the expense of grip.

Any ideas?

Posted 8 years ago

Frankenstein
Free Member

Tire pressure?

Greater friction isn’t always good.

Completely different handling characteristics based on angles and tyre surface/patch/traction/rebound….

Mental bias? Physical fatigue?

The list goes on…

Posted 8 years ago

wiggles
Free Member

in the compound the same?

Posted 8 years ago

FGF 701 The Hydrate Or Die Edition

hypnotoad
Free Member

What were your tyre pressures? You should have lower pressure in a wider tyre.

Posted 8 years ago

m360
Free Member

Yeah, I did run lower pressures in the wider tyre, around 30psi (as low as I dare go to avoid pinch flats). Started at 40-45psi but immediately dropped them. I normally run about 40-45psi.

Not sure about the compounds, that may explain the rock slabs.

I wasn’t having a great day anyway, but this was immediately noticeable from the go.

Posted 8 years ago

epicyclo
Full Member

I’ve just done a 30+mile on fire roads and rough tracks in the Highlands on 2.35″ Big Apples. No tread, but I ran them at 20psi so they deformed over the rougher stuff.

Never felt unsafe – predictable and controllable when they started to slide.

Which is a long winded way of suggesting you drop your psi a bit more.

Posted 8 years ago

motorman
Free Member

That is strange. I run a 2.1 Explorer on the back, and a 2.3 Vertical on my rigid ss and they work great. I find them a little drifty, but they are quite a hard tyre. Depend on what you are riding on I guess.

Posted 8 years ago

asdfhjkl
Free Member

Is the tyre too wide for the rim? They’ll fold over if the rim is too narrow.

Posted 8 years ago

m360
Free Member

Might try lower pressures tomorrow, before I remove it for good. Too high a pressure would explain the skipping/snapping off stuff I guess. They are on Mavic Crossmax rims, so should be OK?

motorman – I was doing the blue and red runs at Whinlatter today, the explorer on the back was doing it’s usual thing, and I was thinking the 2.3 front, 2.1 rear would be a good option with the rigid forks.

Sounds like it might just be tyre pressures. My mate runs Verticals front and rear at way higher pressures than me and seems to like them, but he does ride much slower than me 😈

Posted 8 years ago

JohnnyPanic
Full Member

I guess with any tyre (or anything) there will always be lovers and haterz.
Verticals are the worst tyres I’ve ever tried. 🙂

Posted 8 years ago

mjsmke
Full Member

I run a 2.3 Conti Vertical (cheap £12 version) on the back of my SS and quite like it. seems to grip well in the mud on climbs.

Posted 8 years ago

richardthird
Full Member

Get tubeless and 20psi or less. (C.Monkey 2.4 on my rigid front 16psi)

Grip and cush.

Posted 8 years ago

Kunstler
Full Member

I’ve got a Vert on the front at quite a low pressure. Hard to say what it is as the gauge on track pump is borked but it’s under 20psi but gets pumped up at times and as such it’s a bit of a compromise for long rides, bikepacking and riding out to local trails where there’s a lot of tarmac. Where I need grip on rock I’ll swap it to the rear and put a minion on the front but mostly I don’t bother. 45psi would be bucking me all over the place.

Posted 8 years ago

m360
Free Member

Tried lower pressure today, just in local wood. Gotta say, they like sandy/loamy/woody stuff fine, but anything harder or rocky and they are still rubbish. Also, at low pressure, they squirm around something rotten.

So that’ll be coming off then!

Posted 8 years ago

epicyclo
Full Member

How wide are your rims? Sounds like they may be narrow.

Posted 8 years ago

legend
Free Member

Verticals are the worst tyres I’ve ever tried.

Yup, horrendous tyre. Dunno if it’s just coincidence that some of my biggest crashes were when using Verticals

Posted 8 years ago

m360
Free Member

How wide are your rims? Sounds like they may be narrow.

I think they are 19mm internal width, looking at the Mavic website. States suitable for up to 2.3″ tyres.

Might have a look at the X-King instead, based on another forum topic.

Posted 8 years ago

wiggles
Free Member

Rim width makes a big difference the tyres I love on my modern wide wheels feel horrendous and squirmy on old narrow rims even when pumped up to higher pressures.

Posted 8 years ago

m360
Free Member

Cheers all, may be that the rim width/tyre combo just doesn’t work. My mate runs these tyres and has no problems, just found out his rims are “extra wide”.

Rode to work on it today, it’s not even that confidence inspiring on the road, which perhaps sums up the above!

Will start a new thread for recommending me a new tyre!

Posted 8 years ago